


Across the Chasm

by TheRealMaxRebo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Could Be Platonic Could Be Romatic You Choose, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Obi-Wan Kenobi Ignores His Emotions, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Other, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29804478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRealMaxRebo/pseuds/TheRealMaxRebo
Summary: After the events of TPM Obi-Wan dutifully carries on like a good Jedi should... until he doesn’t. Good job his best friend is there to remind him what’s what (that’s you!)
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Reader, Obi-Wan Kenobi/You
Kudos: 16





	Across the Chasm

You didn’t usually have trouble empathising with anyone, least of all your best friend, but looking at Obi-Wan now you felt like your brain had dissolved. Four months ago he had lost his master and gained a Padawan, and in true Kenobi fashion had mourned his loses for a minute, then carried on with all the strength and fiery sass in his arsenal. You’d been there for him from the moment you’d found out about Master Jinn’s fate, but he hadn’t expressed needing much from you other than the same friendship you’d nurtured since you were younglings.

So why now, four months later, was he suddenly seeming like a hollow version of himself? As if overnight he had become less talkative, unreceptive to jokes, less quick to smile. The mischievous glint in his eyes, and his playful smirk were gone. As you looked at him now, standing beside you, stiff as a board with his arms crossed, it was like looking at a familiar stranger. Gone was his Padawan braid, and his hair had started to grow out, curling slightly above his ears and at the nape of his neck. His jaw was shadowed with stubble and now that you were _really_ looking at him you were sure he’d grown taller and more broad-shouldered. You were the same age, raised in the Jedi temple as equals but for the first time you were seeing him as a _man_ \- a man who had been through trauma - and you suddenly felt out of place next to him. Still a Padawan yourself, untouched by troubles other than the progression of your training, you felt infinitely younger and less experienced, almost naive. You felt _awkward_.

“Are you okay?” You found your lips moving, your voice almost a whisper. In your mind’s eye, though, you were shouting at him across a deep and wide chasm that had just cracked the ground between the two of you.

He looked at you with an expression you couldn’t read, his blue eyes still as the Great Lakes of Naboo. Neither of you looked away fora moment, his silence widening the chasm. You’d never been uncomfortable in his presence before, but there was a first time for everything. Your fingers brushed his upper arm, hoping to bridge the gap, but when his arms remained firmly crossed with an almost imperceptible flinch at your touch, you let your hand fall back to your side.

“How’s my form, Master?” Little Anakin Skywalker stole Obi-Wan’s attention from you. He ran across the green you’d been watching him practice on, brandishing a wooden training saber. When he was close he excitedly swung the thing above his head and hefted it down in perfect, arcing collision course to your kneecap. “Oh...” he frowned as you lowered yourself onto the grass, trying your very hardest to downplay how much that had hurt for the kid’s sake.

“Wow, Ani! Great form if you’re trying to take people’s legs off!” You jested, cradling your knee between laced fingers and hoping your forced smile didn’t resemble a grimace.

Anakin’s frown remained in place. “Shouldn’t you have Jedi reflexes? You really should’ve dodged that.”

You really did laugh then. You looked up at Obi-Wan, hoping to find him laughing with you. Instead you watched him shake his head disapprovingly at the boy with an uncharacteristic, cold look on his face.

“You need to be mindful of your surroundings, Anakin.” He monotoned.

“So does your friend!” Anakin pointed at you, and you watched, almost horrified, as Obi-Wan’s jaw clenched with annoyance.

You turned back to Anakin. “True enough, Ani. Maybe I should be taking lessons from you.” He smiled at that. “Go practise some more, so I can take notes.” You winked and nudged him playfully, and he dutifully nodded and ran back to the middle of the green, saber at the ready. Once he had engrossed himself in his form again you patted the grass beside you, inviting Obi-Wan to sit. He did so, hesitantly. “Are you okay?” You asked him again, this time with more substance. He maintained his silence for so long you thought he was ignoring you, but at last he took a shaky breath, his shoulders slumping.

“What if I wasn’t ready?” Now he was the one speaking with a small, uncertain voice. You waited a moment before replying and you’re glad you did, because he continued, like a dam had broken, “I told Qui-Gon I would train him, but wasn’t that a foolish promise for a Padawan to make? He told the council I was ready to become a Knight but did he mean that, or did he just say it because he wanted to train ‘The Chosen One’ instead of me?” He took a deep breath, as if coming up for air. You had a feeling he was going to say more, but you’d heard enough.

“Honestly, Obi-Wan, none of that matters.” You told him. He looked at you wide-eyed. “Maybe you were ready, maybe you weren’t, you’re the only one who can truly measure that. And it’s no good pondering on potential ulterior motives of someone who’s not here to...” you shook your head. “Look, it’s no good dwelling on the past at all. You can only work with the current situation, Obi-Wan. You’re life changed dramatically in a matter of moments and you’ve been charging ahead without a break, without letting yourself grieve - not just your old Master, but your old _life_ too.” You took a break in your monologue, letting him digest your words. You reached out and smoothed the crease between his brows. His eyes fluttered shut at your touch and for the briefest of moments he appeared untroubled. When he looked at you again, all the softness had returned to his face. He still looked older, and certainly worn, but he looked more like the Obi Wan you knew - kind, gentle, and most importantly, your friend. This time the silence between you was filled with unsaid words. You could virtually see Obi Wan’s thoughts; everything he’d been preservering through catching up to him. He’d watched his Master die, he’d cut a Sith in half, he’d taken the trials, become a Knight and then become a Master all at once. He knew you were right - that he needed to rest.

“Obi Wan, if you truly believe you’re not ready, you could forfeit being his Master-” you had barely finished your thought when Obi Wan started shaking his head - you’d known he would.

“I couldn’t do that to him” he watched Anakin, fondly now. You could almost feel his guilt for being annoyed with him earlier.

“Well,” you took his hand in yours, the chasm gone. “If you ever need a day off, I’m sure I could manage taking over for a few hours.” You smiled at him reassuringly. “There’s no shame in asking for help.”

He squeezed your hand gratefully. You untangled your fingers, linking your arm through his instead, and rested your head on his shoulder. You felt some of his tension dissipate, and for the time being you were both younglings again, lounging in the sun, free of worries.


End file.
